When Two Souls Meet
by Rizzy151617
Summary: Morgana has discovered her magic and tells Merlin but this time he won't let her go without helping her. Sets of from 2x03 but quickly changes into something else.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, this is my first Merlin fanfiction but I've had this idea for some time now, so I finally acted on it. The beginning of the chapter is the same as the episode, but later on it will change. Enjoy!**

Merlin had just swept the floor and was now blowing out the candles. His thoughts were still with Morgana. He felt sorry for her. He knew exactly what she was going through and she deserved some help. If only he could give it to her without exposing himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

'Is Gaius here?'

Merlin looked up to see Morgana walking in, it seemed like she was still in her sleeping gown. She looked very upset, with a haunted look in her eyes.

'No, he's not here at the moment, he should be back soon though.' He answered.

He saw she was close to tears. He hoped Gaius would be back soon enough to help her, so he wouldn't do something stupid like telling her he had magic.

Morgana walked further towards him. 'I need to speak to him, where is he?'

Merlin tried to think of something to say, something to calm her down and let her wait for Gaius.

'He's gone to see the king.' The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. Of course this would not calm her down! Arthur was right; he was an idiot! Of course she would think Gaius had went to the king to tell him about Morgana. In the hope of distracting her, he asked the question he already knew the answer to.

'What's wrong?'

She looked as if she was about to answer, but then she turned her head away. Merlin truly felt for her right now. He knew what it was like not to be able to tell anyone about the magic he felt burning inside of him every moment of the day. He could tell no one, always afraid how people would react and whether they would have him arrested. The only one he trusted with this knowledge was Gaius, but Morgana had no one to help her. No one she could talk to. Except for him.

' You can trust me, Morgana.' She met his eyes.

Merlin tried to smile reassuring. 'You know you can.'

Morgana hesitated for another few seconds and just when he didn't expect her to answer anymore she whispered. 'I'm scared Merlin.'

He waited for her to continue.

'I don't understand anything anymore. I need to know what's happening. Please.'

Merlin looked at her carefully. Did she know anything? Was this her way of asking him whether he had magic? Or was she just hoping that someone could help her to make sense of last night's events? He realized she was waiting for a response.

'Gaius will be back soon, he'll be able to help you.' It was the first thing that came into his mind.

Morgana just shook her head. 'He won't. I don't want anymore remedies, they won't do any good.' She took a step closer to him and looked on his eyes before whispering.

'It's magic, Merlin.'

He could see the fear in her eyes when she spoke the words. She was terrified of herself. But he still couldn't reveal himself to her.

'What?' He hoped she wouldn't see the lie in his eyes when he pretended he didn't know what she was talking about.

She took another step, they're hands almost touching now.

'I'm your friend, you know I wouldn't make this up.' She insisted.

'Of course.'

'Then you believe me?' She asked hopefully.

Merlin mentally kicked himself. What could he say now?

'You think it's magic too.' She continued. 'Please Merlin, I just need to hear someone say it so I don't have to keep feeling like I'm imagining it.'

Merlin nodded, trying to win himself some time. He could see the tears in her eyes and he couldn't bring himself to tell her that he didn't believe her. He couldn't lie to her. So instead he told her the only truth he could tell right now.

'I really wish there was something I could say.'

He winced when he saw her reaction. She took a step back, the pain visible on her face. Then she turned around and started to walk away.

'Morgana!' He called out to her but she didn't stop. He sighed, furious at his own stupidity and quickly followed her, easily catching up with her with his long strides.

'Morgana, will you please hear me out?'

When she didn't answer but kept walking, he quickly stepped in front of her and effectively blocked the only exit of the room. He looked into her eyes, hoping she would listen. 'Please.'

She looked back and studied him for a minute before she finally nodded defeated. 'Fine.'

Merlin let out a relieved sigh and opened the door, gesturing the broken woman in front of him to follow him outside.

'Where are we going?' Morgana asked confused.

'Your chambers. Gaius will be back soon and I don't think you want him to see you this way.' Merlin could see her nodding gratefully in the corner of his eye. He barely paid any attention to where he was walking, trying to think of a way to make Morgana less afraid without giving too much away. By the time they had reached her chambers, he still had no plan whatsoever. Once they were inside, he gentle reached for her hand to lead her towards the bed. When she took hold of his hand, he was startled to feel how cold they were.

'Morgana, you're freezing!'

He quickly let her to the bed and turned around to search for something she could put on. Unfortunately, there were no dresses lying around and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to just start rummaging through her closet. He walked back towards the bed and pulled the blanket away so Morgana could lie down beneath them. He gently laid the blanked back and made sure she was covered completely. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed. He was desperately searching for words to explain what was happening to her, but her voice interrupted his thoughts.

'Merlin?' She asked softly.

He looked up to meet her eyes questioningly.

'Are you afraid of me?' She whispered and quickly looked down at her blankets.

Merlin immediately answered, for the first time tonight he could speak right from his heart. 'Of course not! Why would I be afraid of you?'

'Because I set curtains on fire and I shatter things with my mind.' She let out a little sob. 'I'm a monster.'

Anger flared up inside of him at the sound of those words. He had always been slightly mad at the king for being so blind to the good parts of magic, but now he saw for the first time what it had done to Morgana. Her guardian had made her so afraid of magic that she saw herself as some kind of awful creature. He grabbed her hand, ignoring the fact that Uther would have his head if he saw that a mere servant held the hand of his beloved ward.

'You're not a monster, Morgana. You're one of the most beautiful, pure-hearted, kind and gentle persons I've ever met. Just because you have magic, does not mean you're evil. Maybe you can do some good with it.'

She slowly pulled her gaze away from the bed and when she looked up, he could see a tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes. 'You think so?'

He nodded. 'I do.'

'Thank you Merlin.' She smiled slightly. 'You're very kind for me.'

Merlin returned her smile. 'That's what friends do right?'

He released her hand and stoop up from the bed. 'You should get some sleep. You must be exhausted.'

Immediately the fear returned in her eyes.

'What's wrong?' He asked concerned.

She looked embarrassed. 'I'm afraid to go back to bed. What if I put the bed on fire this time?'

Merlin thought about that. It was possible, giving the lack of control she had already displayed; she could be a danger to herself.

He looked at her uncertainly. 'Do you want me to stay with you? Or I can get Gwen, if you want.'

She looked relieved at the offer. 'I'd like you to stay.' She answered and then quickly added. 'If you want to of course.'

Merlin smiled again, hoping to make the last remaining parts of her fear go away.

'How can I refuse?'

She returned the smile and moved to one side of the bed to make room. He hesitantly got into the bed, carefully not touching the beautiful girl next to him. He would probably be killed tomorrow when someone found them like this, there was no need to make things worse. Apparently Morgana didn't agree, because she slowly scooted closer until her head rested on his shoulder and her hands were on his chest.

'Do you mind?' She whispered, but Merlin could hear she hoped he wouldn't. So he put an arm around her and pulled her close. 'Of course not.' He answered. 'Get some sleep, Morgana. You're safe now.' He smiled down at her and relaxed when she closed her eyes. He started to repeat all the magical spells he knew in his head, to make sure he wouldn't fall asleep. If he wanted to make sure Morgana would be okay, this was going to be a long night.

**I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, first of all I want to apologize for the long wait. I had to do my final exams and it took a lot of time but now I have holiday, so I can get back to my writing. Secondly, I want to thank all of you who are reading this story and leaving reviews. You really motivate me to keep on writing. Special thanks to GEDOMAZO10TAILS, Lady Cougar-Trombone, Zarathos' chain, Mike3207 and Elise.v for leaving such sweet comments! That's it for now, enjoy the chapter!**

Merlin sighed when he saw the first rays of sunlight creeping through the window. It had been a long night indeed. In the beginning of the night, the Great Dragon had called him and asked him to come down to talk, but Merlin had ignored it and eventually his voice had faded away. This left him with enough time to think about Morgana. He had been trying to come up with a solution, but he hadn't been able to think of anything yet.

He looked down at the girl in his arms. She had been sleeping peacefully for most of the night. There had been two times when she had started to move in her sleep, but he had just whispered some calming words and she had gone back to a deeper slumber. Still, it worried him that her magic had such effects on her. If it hadn't been for his presence this night, she could have hurt herself. He closed his eyes for a moment, realizing he needed to do something before things would really start to get out of hand.

His eyes flew open again at the sound of footsteps outside the room. As quickly as he could without waking Morgana, he slipped his arm out from underneath her and got out of the bed, putting the covers back so it would seem like she had been the only person in it. He had barely made it behind the curtain where he had hidden before with the druid boy Mordred, when Gwen came into the room and walked straight over to Morgana to wake her. Merlin let out a relieved sigh. He knew Gwen would never betray him by telling Uther, but it would have raised a lot of unwanted questions if she had caught him with his arms wrapped around the lady Morgana.

He focussed again on the two girls. Morgana was stretching like a cat, looking much more like her normal self than she had last night. She quickly looked next to her and Merlin could have sworn a flash of disappointment crossed her face at the sight of the empty bed. He could hear her talking to Gwen about being hungry and Gwen left with a smile to fetch some breakfast. Merlin assumed she was happy to see her mistress was feeling better again. He had always admired Gwen for her kind heart and it was good to know someone else was looking out for Morgana as well. As soon as he heard the door close, he appeared from behind the curtain. The movement caught Morgana's eye and she smiled at the sight of him.

'Merlin! You scared me! I thought you had left.'

Her happiness lightened his mood immediately and he couldn't help the smile on his face when he joined her on the bed.

'I promised I would stay with you right? I just didn't want Gwen to know.'

A frown appeared on Morgana's face. 'Gwen would never betray us. She's my best friend.'

'I know. I just don't want to drag her into this. I don't want her to have to lie to the king, do you?'

'No, I suppose not.' She mumbled.

It was silent for a minute before Merlin spoke up.

'How are you feeling?'

'Better. I haven't slept this good in a while.'

Merlin took her hand in his without realizing what he did. 'I'm glad.' When he looked down at their joined hands, he blushed and attempted to pull back but Morgana held on tighter to his hand. 'Merlin?'

She asked with a small voice.

'Yes?'

'What am I going to do? It won't go away, will it?'

Merlin sighed and squeezed her hand. 'No, I don't think it will.'

He could see the disappointed look in her eyes. Apparently, somewhere deep inside she had hoped she could ignore it and by doing so make it go away.

'We'll figure something out.' He said softly.

'How? Uther will have both of our heads if he finds out.'

'He won't.' Merlin said quickly. 'I promise.'

He realized Gwen had been gone for sometime now, so he slowly let go of Morgana's hand. 'I have to go before Gwen returns. Arthur will probably kill me because I'm late.'

Morgana nodded and gave him a small smile. 'Thank you Merlin.'

He nodded. 'I'll think of something, don't worry.' And with that he left her room just in time to avoid Gwen coming back. He quickly made his way to Gaius chambers, hoping his absence had gone unnoticed. However, as soon as he entered the room, his mentor looked up and exclaimed. 'Merlin! Where on earth have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was?'

'Sorry Gaius, I needed to do something.'

Gaius looked at him for some time. 'Does it have anything to do with the Lady Morgana?'

'No.' Merlin answered quickly. Too quickly apparently.

'Merlin! I know when you're lying.'

He sighed. 'Gaius, she needs help. She can't do this alone! She's so scared and lost. She needs someone to help her and if you won't, then I will.'

'Merlin, I will try to help her if I can, but you can't let her know about you. It's too dangerous.'

'I won't.' Merlin answered. 'But I won't stop helping either.'

Before Gaius could say anymore on the subject, Arthur came storming into the room. 'Gaius, have you seen the most useless servant this earth has ever known?' When he saw Merlin standing next to Gaius, he raised his eyebrows. 'Where have you been? You were supposed to be in my rooms two hours ago.'

Merlin scratched behind his ear and looked down, trying to come up with a believable explanation.

Gaius cleared his throat. 'I'm sorry sire, he has been to the tavern tonight and I couldn't wake him on time.'

Arthur looked at Merlin again, a threat clear in his eyes. 'The tavern?'

Merlin shrugged, internally cursing Gaius for coming up with the tavern again.

Arthur shook his head. 'There is really no hope for you, is there Merlin?' He took Merlin's arm and dragged him out of the room, meanwhile telling him about all the chores that were waiting for him.

Before Merlin had realized it, he had spent the entire day cleaning up after Arthur, polishing his armour and mucking out the stables. When it was finally time for him to get some supper, he decided to go and see the Great Dragon first. He didn't feel like losing another night of sleep because of the Dragon's voice in his head, so he might as well go and see what the problem was.

When he entered the cave, the Dragon was waiting for him already.

'It took you long enough, young warlock.' Merlin could feel the rumbling voice, making his body tremble.

'I'm sorry, I've got a busy life and I can't come whenever you want me to, especially in the middle of the night.' Merlin answered a little bit annoyed.

The Dragon smiled, if that was even possible for a dragon. 'You mean you were busy with the witch, the Lady Morgana.'

'She's not a witch!' Merlin exclaimed, surprised to hear the dragon speaking of her in such a manner. 'She's my friend.'

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized they were true. He had started to see Morgana as a friend more than as the king's ward. When they had saved the druid boy and she had offered to help him save his village, they had moved past that and a friendship had started to grow.

The next words of the Dragon took him by surprise. 'She cannot be trusted.'

'What makes you say that?' Merlin asked, trying to keep the venom out of his voice. How could he say that? He didn't even know Morgana! Instead of answering his question, the Dragon came with another warning.

'It would be better if the witch…'

'Stop calling her that!' Merlin interrupted him, but the Dragon ignored him and repeated:

'It would be better if the witch never knew the true extent of her powers.'

Merlin shook his head. 'You're wrong! I know her, she has a good heart.'

'You failed to heed my warnings in the past and it brought grave consequences.' The Dragon told him sternly.

'I won't abandon her!' Merlin answered stubbornly.

'Merlin!' The Great Dragon growled. 'Don't be foolish! She's a danger to us all, She's a danger to your future. To Albion's future.

Merlin narrowed his eyes. 'The future is not set in stone. I refuse to believe that. Morgana needs help and I won't fail her because you say she can't be trusted!'

The Dragon bowed his head. 'If that's what you want, then so be it. But I will not help you on this quest. If you want to help the witch, you will do so alone.'

Merlin remained silent and turned away. 'Do not say I haven't warned you, Emrys.' He heard the Dragon say but he kept walking, furious because of what the Dragon had said. He refused to believe that Morgana was evil. She couldn't be.

When he looked up, he noticed he had walked towards Morgana's chambers without realizing it. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. He really wanted to check on her, but he wasn't sure whether she would appreciate it if he came so often to her chambers. Before he could make a decision, the door in front of him opened and Gwen walked out. She looked at him surprised.

'Merlin! What are you doing here?'

Merlin decided to go with the truth this time. He didn't have enough time to come up with a convincing lie

'I wanted to make sure the Lady Morgana was okay.' He answered.

Gwen smiled. 'That's very kind of you, Merlin. She's reading right now before she goes to bed but I will let her know that you came by.'

Merlin nodded but then he heard Morgana's voice from inside the room. 'Gwen? Is that Merlin?'

'Yes, my lady.'

'Let him in, please.'

Merlin could see how Gwen tried to hide her surprise at this request, but she didn't succeed entirely. Still, she stepped aside to let him in.

'Thank you Gwen, you can leave us now.'

Gwen smiled hesitantly and left after making a quick bow.

Merlin turned around to see Morgana sitting in a chair next to the window. She had a book in her hand, but she was looking out of the window.

'Is it a bad book?' He asked to break the silence.

Morgana looked up and smiled quickly. 'No, not at all. I was just admiring the view for a moment.'

Merlin smirked. 'Morgana, you're holding the book upside down.'

She looked down to see he was right and blushed while putting the book away. Then she let out a small laugh. 'Good point.'

'How are you doing?' He asked while taking a seat opposite of her.

'Better I suppose. I just don't feel like sleeping.' She admitted sheepishly.

Merlin nodded and leaned forward to meet her eyes, making a decision that would probably change both of their lives. 'I know a way to help you.'

Her eyes went wide. 'You do?'

'Yes. I can't make the magic go away, but I think I can help you to learn how to deal with it. How to make sure you won't endanger yourself or anyone else with your magic.' The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had made the right decision. It was the only way to keep her safe.

'How?'

He took a deep breath before speaking the first true lie he had told her. 'I went to the library today. There is a forbidden section, which still holds some books about magic. I've read them and I think I've learned a few things about magic by now.'

'Merlin! Uther would kill you if he found out you were there.' Concern was clear in her voice.

He smiled reassuringly. 'Don't worry. Who's going to notice me? I'm just a servant boy, I don't matter.'

This time it was Morgana who took his hand. 'You matter to me.' She told him softly.

'Thank you.' He whispered and he meant it. Of course he knew that his mother and Gaius cared about him deeply and Gwen and even Arthur although the prince would never admit it. But it meant a lot to him to know that Morgana thought he mattered.

Before their silence became uncomfortable, Merlin spoke up. 'We need to think of a way to meet each other to do these lessons. That is of course, if you want to?'

Morgana nodded. 'I'd like that.'

'So how are we going to do it? Arthur will notice if I'm gone all of a sudden.'

She smiled. 'Leave that to me.'

He looked at her questioningly but didn't ask, not sure whether he wanted to know.

'Well then, I should be going.' He stood up. 'Good night, Morgana.'

She stood up as well. 'Merlin, wait. I wanted to ask you something.' She fell silent.

'What is it?'

'Could you perhaps stay with me tonight again? Last night was the first time I've slept throughout the whole night without nightmares or setting things on fire. Please?' Her voice broke in the end.

He sighed and looked at her hesitantly. She might look better then she did last night, but she was still pale and she looked fragile. He realized he couldn't deny her anything at the moment.

'Of course. I just need to make sure Gaius won't miss me and then I'll be back.'

She nodded relieved. 'Thank you, Merlin.'

He smiled. 'You're welcome.' He turned around and left the room, hurrying to his own.

He quickly ate his cold supper and was about to leave a note for Gaius, when he came walking into the room.

'What are you up to, Merlin?' The old man asked him.

'Nothing.' Merlin answered as innocently as he could.

Judging by the look of the physician, he hadn't been innocent enough. 'It's Morgana. She needs my help.' He saw Gaius was about to say something so he added: 'Don't worry, I'll be careful.'

He stood up and walked towards the door, hoping Gaius wouldn't start another discussion about his determination to help Morgana.

'You have a good heart, Merlin.' He heard Gaius' voice behind him. 'I'm proud of you.'

Merlin turned around and smiled at his mentor. 'Thank you, Gaius.'

Gaius nodded and went back to work, while Merlin hastened back to Morgana's chambers. He knocked twice on the door, hoping he wouldn't run into Gwen again. Luckily, Morgana opened the door herself and stepped aside to let him in. He noticed she was already in her sleeping gown. She smiled shyly.

'I'm really sorry for troubling you so much.' She said without meeting his eyes. She was about to turn around, when Merlin caught her arm. 'It's okay. I know how you feel.'

She looked up immediately, hearing his mistake. 'You do?'

Merlin sighed, reminding himself to be careful. He couldn't afford another mistake like that. 'No, I mean that I try to imagine how you feel. It must be awful.'

She nodded, but he could see she wasn't entirely convinced so he quickly changed the subject. 'Are you ready to go to bed yet?'

'Yeah, I just need to brush my hair and then I'm done.' She smiled and rolled her eyes.

'I'm probably confirming the idea most people have of me. The girl who does everything to look pretty and who is spending her spare time by brushing her hair. But if I don't do it now, it will be really difficult to handle tomorrow.'

Merlin ignored the last part, his attention still with her first words. 'I don't see you that way.' He blurted out.

'Thank you, Merlin. But you're one of the few, I'm afraid.' Morgana sighed and picked up her brush.

'It must be hard, being judged like that by people who don't know you.' He mused out loud.

'I'm starting to get used to it. Besides, Arthur has it worse than I do.'

Merlin grinned. 'But he isn't bothered by it. He loves the attention.'

Morgana started to laugh, but it turned into a little cry of pain when her brush got stuck in a knot of her hair. Merlin quickly walked over to her and took the brush from her hand.

'What are you doing?' She asked confused.

'I'm brushing you hair. It will be less painful this way.' While he was talking, he untangled her hair from the brush and carefully worked his way through her long dark hair. He worked in silence for a couple of minutes before Morgana spoke again.

'My father used to brush my hair every night, when I was a little girl.' She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

'You must miss him.' Merlin said sympathetically. At least he still had his mother.

'Sometimes, yes. Especially now. I can't remember much of him, but I'm sure he wouldn't turn me away if I told him that I had magic.'

Merlin put down the brush and sat down next to her on the bed. 'I'm sorry.' He mumbled. She nodded and he could see she was trying to fight back her tears.

'I just wish I could talk to him one more time. I really need him to tell me that it's going to be okay.' The tears started to fall down despite her efforts.

Merlin sighed and impulsively pulled her into his arms. She immediately clung to him and buried her head in his chest. He softly stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.

'I know I'm not your father, but I promise you that it's going to be okay. You need to have faith in yourself. You can get through this and I will be there with you every step of the way. I promise'

Gradually, Morgana began to calm down. She pulled out of his arms and smiled a little bit embarrassed. 'I'm sorry.'

Merlin returned the smile. 'There's nothing to be sorry of.'

She looked at him for a while. 'You know, I can never figure you out. Sometimes you're just Merlin and then other times seem so much older.' She mused.

He grinned. 'Yeah, that's what Arthur's always wondering about as well. He sometimes thinks I'm wise or something. But then I usually do something stupid and he forgets about it again.'

Morgana's giggle was quickly followed by a yawn. Merlin noticed and he stood up to pull away the blanket. 'You must be really tired.'

She nodded and quickly got into bed. Merlin followed her example and soon enough, she lay in his arms, her head resting on his chest.

'Sleep well, Merlin.' She mumbled sleepily. Merlin smiled down at her. 'Sweet dreams, Morgana.' His last thought before he fell asleep was that this was the second night he would spend with Morgana in his arms and he realized that he could easily get used to this.

**I hope you liked it! I know some of you expected Merlin to get caught, but I want to keep that for another chapter. For those of you who might have noticed that Merlin is a little bit more confident in this chapter than in the last one, that's because he has had the entire night to think about his actions and I think this makes him more confident than before. Please let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone, I'm sorry for the long wait but I'm finally back with a new chapter. I know it's a little bit short but I hope you like it anyway! Special thanks to sjritts and Lady Cougar-Trombone. Your reviews motivate me to continue writing. It means a lot to me. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

The next couple of days passed by quickly. Every night, Merlin would come to Morgana's chambers in secret. Every morning he woke up early to be in time for his chores for Arthur and to make sure Gwen wouldn't find him in the Lady Morgana's bed. When he left in the morning, he would wake Morgana to make sure nothing magical would happen in the short time that he was gone. She would give him a sleepy smile and by the time Gwen came in, she would be reading a book. Gwen had noticed the change in her mistress' behaviour. Usually she had to drag Morgana out of bed, but the past couple of days she had been awake already. At first, Gwen had been worried that Morgana would suffer from a lack of sleep, but then she realized Morgana looked better than she had for a long time. She looked well rested, healthier and happier. Whatever had caused the change, Gwen had decided that it was for the better.

Merlin thought the same thing. He had indeed gotten used to this new routine and despite the fact that he really wanted to help Morgana, he also dreaded the moment when she would be able to control her powers. He would no longer have a reason to fall asleep with the dark haired girl in his arms and he was not sure whether he would be able to go back to the way things were before. That was the reason why he didn't completely mind the huge amount of work Arthur had ordered him to do, because it made it impossible for Morgana to receive her lessons from him, without Arthur noticing. At the same time, he knew this could not go on like this for much longer. Sooner or later, there would be a moment when Arthur would have to leave for more than one day, which meant that Merlin had to be away from Camelot. This would leave Morgana behind without any protection. He would never forgive himself if something would happen to her. Therefore, despite his reluctance to let go of their nights together, he was relieved when Morgana finally found a way to get time for the lessons.

Arthur and Morgana were having dinner together. Usually Uther would join them but today he had declined the offer, which left the two alone with their servants. 'Merlin, I'd like some more wine.' Arthur said without looking up from his plate. Merlin had been standing against the wall next to Gwen and he rolled his eyes at the request. In the corner of his eye he saw Gwen trying to hide a smile, while he made his way to the table to pour Arthur some wine. He was about to turn away when Morgana spoke up.

'My dear Arthur, I always thought that you could conquer the world on your own considering all your boasting. Now I see you can't even pour your own wine.' She said in a teasing voice.

Merlin hid a smile behind his hand. Morgana was right, but no one ever dared to tell Arthur that he was a lazy prat with the exception of Merlin himself. Arthur glared at her. 'You're one to speak. You always have Guinevere around to help you.'

'She's my friend!' Morgana protested. Then a sly smile came upon her face. 'I bet you can't even manage one day without Merlin helping you.'

Arthur narrowed his eyes. 'You're on. One week neither of us can use our servants. If one of us fails or cheats, he or she has to do the chores of the other for one week.'

Morgana grinned. 'Careful Arthur, I've got a lot of clothes that need washing.'

The prince ignored her remark. 'Do we have a deal?'

She laughed. 'Yes, of course! I can't wait to see you lose this one.' She got up and turned to Gwen with a smile. 'It seems that you've got the week off, Gwen. You deserve it.'

And with those words she left the room, leaving a frowning Arthur behind. He waited until she was out of sight before he cursed under his breath. Merlin couldn't help the triumphant smile on his face. 'What's the matter sire? Afraid to lose?'

Arthur glared at him. 'Don't be ridiculous, Merlin! I can win this with two hands behind my back.'

Merlin grinned. 'Well then, I suppose you won't be needing me anymore for the next week. Goodnight sire.'

He left the room and immediately went to Morgana's chambers. She was waiting for him already. Merlin smiled. 'I have to admit I'm impressed. You managed to get me the week off and annoy Arthur at the same time.

Morgana returned the smile. 'Annoying Arthur is always good fun. So, do you have the books?'

Merlin shook his head. He had spent some time thinking about how to teach Morgana some magic and he had come to the conclusion that it would be best to start without spells. Morgana's safety was the most important thing at the moment and it was being threatened by her own instinctual magic. Merlin reasoned that if they would start with her instincts, she would be at least save for the time being. Later they could work on the spells.

'I've read the books, but I've put them back in the library. I didn't want either of us to get caught.'

Morgana nodded. 'That's very considerate of you. But how can you teach me without the books?'

Merlin grinned nervously. He wasn't sure whether she would believe him but he couldn't come up with a more convincing lie. 'Don't worry, Morgana. I've tried to remember as much as possible. I'm sure we'll be fine.'

Morgana looked at him with doubt visible in her eyes.

'Do you trust me?' Merlin asked, although he already knew the answer.

She nodded and sat down at the table, gesturing for him to follow her example. When he was seated, he pulled out a red ribbon and put it on table. Morgana elegantly raised one eyebrow. 'A ribbon?'

Merlin put up his hands in a reassuring gesture. 'Just listen, please.'

Morgana nodded but kept eyeing the ribbon warily.

'According to the books, it should be possible for you to lift this ribbon into the air by using magic.' Naturally, Merlin already knew it was possible indeed, but Morgana didn't know that. Now he had to do the most difficult part; trying to explain Morgana how to use magic, when it came so naturally to him that he didn't have to think about it. It just happened.

'How am I supposed to do that?' Merlin could hear a little bit of panic in her voice. 'I don't know how to use magic! What if I can't do it? What if I can?'

He quickly took hold of her hand. 'Just try it for me. No matter what happens, it will be fine. Just take a deep breath and look at the ribbon.'

She did as he told her, but grasped his hand rather painfully. Merlin ignored it and focused on the beautiful girl in front of him. 'Now try to imagine the ribbon floating through the air, like a leave that's falling from a tree.'

He could see her brow furrowing in concentration. 'Now use your willpower. You want the ribbon to float and so it shall.'

Morgana closed her eyes and bowed her head. After a few seconds, Merlin saw the ribbon slowly rising into the air where it stayed right in front of Morgana's head.

'You're doing great.' He whispered. 'Open your eyes.'

She looked up and immediately perceived the sight of the floating ribbon. She looked at it with wonder and raised her hand towards it as if she couldn't believe it was real.

'You did it.' Merlin said with a smile.

Morgana tore her eyes away from the ribbon to look at him and immediately the ribbon fell down again on the table. Morgana looked disappointed at the now lifeless piece of silk.

'Don't worry, we can try again.' Merlin said quickly. 'We just have to practice your focus. You should be able to keep the ribbon in the air, while looking at something else in the meantime.'

She nodded and immediately closed her eyes to try again. The remaining part of the evening was spent in practicing to levitate objects in the air and to keep them their while Morgana had to answer questions Merlin asked about the noble families, etiquette and history. In the beginning, the objects would fall to the floor whenever she had to think about a difficult question, but gradually she began to answer the questions and keep the objects in the air at the same time. Merlin was impressed by her ability to learn magic so quickly and whenever he told her so, a dazzling smile appeared on her face.

That night when he had just gotten into the bed with Morgana, she let out an uncharacteristic giggle and let a feather float from the table towards the bed. With a smile she let the feather descend onto Merlin's face and tickled him with it. He laughed softly and swatted it away before turning on his side to face a glowing Morgana. He had never seen her so happy, but he knew he had to warn her.

'You know you can't do this right? Using magic for fun?'

Morgana's face fell. Merlin hastened himself to add: 'You can do it with me of course. But it is dangerous Morgana. Uther would have your head if he found out. You can't ever let your guard down. You can't use it unless you're absolutely sure you're safe and most of all, you can never tell anyone.'

'I know, Merlin.' She said sadly. 'But at least when I'm with you, I feel like I can be myself. I will be careful, I promise. But I can't give magic up, now that I know what it's like to use it.'

Merlin sighed. He knew the feeling and remembered what he had said to Gaius when the physician had warned him against magic. He had said that without magic, he was no one. Now, he wasn't so sure about that anymore, but still he could never imagine a time when he couldn't practice magic. 'You don't have to give it up. As long as you're careful, you shoud be safe.'

Morgana smiled and soon enough her sad mood had disappeared again. She chatted happily about things that had happened in Camelot when Merlin hadn't been there yet. Suddenly she fell silent and looked at him.

'I haven't felt this happy in years.' She said with a small smile.

Merlin returned the smile. 'You deserve to be happy, Morgana.'

'Thank you, Merlin. For everything.' Before he knew what was happening, Morgana quickly moved towards him and kissed him on his cheek. Then she snuggled into his side and fell asleep instantly.

Merlin stayed silent for a moment, not quite believing what had happened. Then he kissed her hair and whispered softly: 'You're welcome.'

He put his arms around the sleeping girl and fell asleep with a smile on his face, realizing that tomorrow he would not have to leave early because Gwen would not be there to wake Morgana. The idea of having Morgana all to himself for the next week was enough to send him into a happy, peaceful sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone. I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks to everyone who is reading this story and following and reviewing. I truly appreciate it! I want to thank Lady Cougar-Trombone, Nath8, Meri Ley, freshly caught Cornish pixies and sjritts for reviewing my last chapter. As always, you motivate me to keep going. Special thanks for sjritts who has been so kind to read this chapter and give me some advice. I hope you like this chapter and I'd like to know what you think. Enjoy!**

Merlin woke up to a clattering sound. He immediately shot up out of bed trying to see where the danger came from. When he looked to the right, he looked straight into the eyes of a shocked Gwen. A broken vase was lying on the floor in front of her.

'Gwen?' He managed to utter. 'What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!'

'Neither are you!' She hissed back, her voice betraying the shock she felt. 'Merlin, are you insane? The king will have your head if he finds out!'

Merlin opened his mouth to answer but closed it again, which made him look like a fish on land. Gwen shot a worried glance at Morgana, but she was still asleep. Finally Merlin found his voice again. 'It's not what you think.'

Gwen raised her eyebrows. 'Really?' She stretched out the last syllable, trying to show her disbelief. What other reasonable explanation could there possibly be for a servant to be in bed with the king's ward?

'Gwen, please. You can't tell anyone. It's not what it seems, but I can't explain right now. Just promise you won't tell the king. Please?' He spoke so quickly that he stumbled over his own words.

'Of course, Merlin. But you owe me an explanation.'

Before she could say anymore, Morgana woke up.

'Gwen?' She asked sleepily. 'What are you doing here? I thought I gave you the week off?'

The voice of her mistress forced Gwen to look away from Merlin and she quickly made a curtsy. 'I'm sorry my lady, but prince Arthur asked me to bring you flowers to wish you luck with your bet.'

'How kind of him.' Morgana muttered while she rolled her eyes. It was only then that she realized Merlin was still in the room and that Gwen looked like she had seen a flying pig.

'Merlin was just here to make sure that I was doing all right without you.' She offered as an explanation. Merlin groaned. He was bad at excuses, but Morgana was even worse.

Gwen gave her mistress a knowing smirk. 'Of course my lady. I don't know why I haven't thought of that explanation myself. It is very kind of Merlin to be so concerned about you.' Her eyes twinkled with a mischievous humour.

Morgana must have seen that her friend didn't believe her, because she gave Gwen a quick hug before sending her away. 'Thank you for the flowers, Gwen. Now go and enjoy your time off.'

'Yes, my lady.' Gwen responded with a last smile and left the room after giving Merlin another questioning glance. When the door closed behind her, Morgana let herself fall on the bed again.

'Checking up on you? That's the worst excuse I've ever heard!' Merlin said while he sat on the edge of the bed.

Morgana glared at him. 'If my excuse was so bad, why didn't you come up with something better yourself?'

Merlin ignored her remark. 'We're in deep trouble.'

'Gwen won't tell anyone.'

'No, but she'll be asking me questions until she has answers.'

Morgana shrugged. 'So think of something, apparently you know more about it than I.' She got up again and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. 'Don't worry so much. Just go and get some breakfast with Gaius, he must miss you.'

Merlin quickly got up, trying not to show his surprise that Morgana had kissed him again. 'Yeah, I will. Goodbye.' He mumbled before leaving the room and hurrying to his own room. Before he reached his destination, he bumped into Arthur.

'Merlin! Are you blind as well as stupid? Watch where you're walking!'

'Sorry sire.' Merlin answered, making a mock-bow.

Arthur looked at him warily. 'What has gotten you into such a good mood?'

'I'm just enjoying my week off.'

'Well, don't get too happy. We're leaving in an hour.' Arthur clapped him on the back before walking away.

'Wait! Where are we going?' Merlin asked curiously.

'We're going horse riding.'

'Why should I come with you? I'm not your servant, remember?' He asked smugly.

Arthur turned around again with a smile that couldn't mean anything good. 'Yes, Merlin. I do remember. But you will be my servant again next week, and the week after that, and the week after that. So unless you want me to make your life a living hell, you go with me on this trip and pretend to do it for your own pleasure. Do I make myself clear?'

Merlin sighed; he should have known that Arthur would find a way around the bet. 'Yes, Sire. I will be there.'

'Great. Enjoy your time off.' Arthur smiled one last time before leaving again. Merlin continued his way to Gaius when he was stopped yet again, but this time by Gwen. She quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

'Gwen?' Merlin asked surprised.

'Merlin.' She responded with a small smile. 'So, are you going to tell me about this morning?'

He returned the smile, but in the mean time his mind was working very hard to come up with an explanation. He had expected her to question him, but not so soon.

'You don't believe Morgana, I take it?' He asked sheepishly.

'Merlin, I'm not an idiot. Something is going on between the two of you and if you like each other, then I'm really happy for you!'

'What? No! No, I don't like her that way at all.' He blurted out, trying to make it sound convincing. 'We're just friends. That's all.'

Gwen raised an eyebrow. 'Then what were you doing in her bed?'

Merlin scratched the back of his head before answering. 'It's not what you think, but I can't tell you right now.'

Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. 'Merlin, I'm your friend! You can tell me.'

He sighed. If only he could tell her the truth, how much easier things would be then. But he supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell part of the truth. 'I know she's having trouble sleeping properly, so I came to see how she was doing last night. We talked and I must have fallen asleep there.'

Gwen looked at him for a minute. 'That's it? You're sure?'

'Yeah, why wouldn't I be?' He saw that she still looked like she wasn't sure what to believe yet.

'Look, I have to go. Arthur has found a way to get me to ride out with him, even though he has promised not to use me as a servant.'

'Tell me about it. He has asked me to come as well. I don't know what to make of it.' Gwen said with a small laugh.

'Well, if you're coming it will be fun at least.' Merlin said with a smile, before finally making his way to Gaius again. When he opened the door, the physician looked up from a green leather volume he had been reading. 'Merlin! Where have you been? Lately I haven't seen you for more than a few seconds a day.'

'I'm sorry, I was just very busy doing chores for Arthur. Is there any breakfast left?'

Gaius folded his arms across his chest. 'I've heard about the bet between Arthur and the Lady Morgana. You're not supposed to be doing chores for Arthur.'

Merlin shrugged while he was chewing away on some bread. 'Even with the bet, he knows how to keep me busy.' He said between bites. 'I have to go.'

He almost made it to the door again when Gaius stopped him. 'Merlin.'

'Yes?'

'Are you sure you're okay?'

Merlin smiled. 'Never better' He responded, realizing that it was actually true. Despite Gwen finding him in Morgana's bed, he didn't feel like he was in trouble. Morgana seemed to get a grip on her magic and if the kisses were any indication, they were growing towards each other.

'I'm glad.' Gaius said, before focussing on his book again.

An hour later, Merlin found himself standing next to two horses. Gwen and Arthur were holding their own horses and were apparently waiting for someone. 'Arthur? What are we waiting for?'

Merlin asked a little bit annoyed that he had hurried for no reason.

'I'm sorry I kept you waiting.' He heard Morgana's voice behind him. She descended the stairs of the castle with a radiant smile.

'What are you doing here?' He blurted out, before realizing that they were in public. He quickly made a bow and added a shy 'My Lady.'

'I'm joining you on your little ride, Merlin. Arthur invited me to come with you.'

'Yes and now it's time to go.' Arthur said before helping Morgana into the saddle.

Merlin rolled his eyes at Gwen before following Arthur and Morgana into the woods.

They had been riding for half an hour, easily chatting and bantering, when suddenly a group of riders approached them. They were all dressed in black. Merlin saw Arthur's hand go to his sword but it was too late. An arrow barely missed Gwen's arm and fell on the ground in front of his horse. Arthur had already jumped of his horse and was fighting of the first couple of men, but there were more to come. Merlin saw Morgana drag Gwen with her to safety from the corner of his eyes but he focused more on the men in front of him. He took the sword from one of the bodies that Arthur had left in his wake and followed the prince into battle. He knew he was awful at sword-fighting, but he was good bait. Indeed, soon enough he was surrounded by four men, which gave Arthur the time to deal with the other five. When the men got close enough, Merlin softly whispered a spell, which knocked all of them out at once. When he looked to see how Arthur was doing, the prince was already making his way over to him. He actually looked surprised when he saw the men at Merlin's feet.

'I'm surprised, Merlin. Didn't think you had it in you.'

Merlin smiled but the smile faded when he looked at Morgana. She was looking at him with eyes full of hatred. Had she seen him use magic? Surely, she had been too busy with Gwen to notice him?

They rode back to the castle again, but the mood had darkened. Arthur was mad and worried because the bandits had come so close to Camelot. Gwen was just a little bit shaken and Morgana kept throwing murderous glances at Merlin. He tried to ignore them as well as he could, but every now and then he would see her look at him and he would quickly look away again.

When they arrived at the castle, Morgana immediately got off her horse and walked briskly up the stairs to disappear into the castle.

'What has gotten into her?' Arthur asked surprised.

'I'll see what's wrong.' Gwen offered before quickly following her mistress.

Arthur handed Merlin the reins of the horses and left for the castle as well, leaving Merlin to deal with the four horses. For once, he didn't mind. While he unsaddled the horses and brushed them, he kept repeating the moment in the woods. Was it possible that she had seen him? And if not, why else would she behave like this?

During supper, Gaius spoke up. 'Merlin, what has happened?'

Merlin tore his eyes away from his plate to meet his mentor's gaze. 'Nothing.'

'You're a really bad liar, Merlin.'

Merlin sighed and threw away his spoon on the table. 'I think Morgana knows. She knows I have magic. And she's furious.'

Gaius remained silent for a while. 'Are you absolutely certain?'

'I think so.' He answered miserably. 'Gaius, I don't know what to do.'

The physician looked at him with a sad smile. 'You don't have much of a choice, I'm afraid. You have to go and talk to her.'

'I don't think she wants to talk to me.' Merlin muttered.

'You have to try, Merlin. It is very dangerous to have a mad Morgana who knows about your magic.'

Merlin sighed and stood up. 'I know.'

He walked towards the door. 'If I'm not back in an hour, you have to come and get me out.'

Gaius just gave him a small smile. 'Good luck, Merlin.'

Merlin nodded and left the room. When he arrived at Morgana's door, he hesitated for a moment. If she was truly angry, his presence might make matters worse. Especially with her newfound magic. Still, he needed to know what she knew. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He heard a muffled voice. 'Who is it?'

'It's Merlin.'

'Go away. I don't need you, just leave me alone.' Was the immediate response.

Merlin rested his head on the door. 'Morgana, please. Just let me in. We need to talk.'

'I don't have anything to say to you.'

'Then just listen. I'm not sure why you're so mad, but –'

Before he could finish his sentence, Morgana opened the door with such force that he almost fell inside the room. Her hair fell loosely down her shoulders and she was dressed in her sleeping attire. Yet, her eyes were blazing with fire and it was obvious that she hadn't been sleeping.

He quickly entered the room and she closed the door behind him with a loud crash. 'How can you say that?' She immediately demanded.

'Say what?' Merlin asked. This was not the way he had hoped things would go.

'That you don't know why I'm mad. I saw you Merlin. Today, with those bandits. I helped Gwen get to safety and then I looked at you to see whether you thought I should use magic. But I saw you. Your eyes turned gold and those men suddenly dropped down.'

'Morgana, I-' He tried to explain, but Morgana wouldn't hear of it.

'Don't tell me it's not what I think. I know what I saw. It was magic. You have magic! That's why you could teach me how to use my own magic. That's why you knew so much about it.' She paused to take a breath.

'You're right.' He said softly. 'I do have magic.'

Morgana took a step back as if he had slapped her. Tears started to form in her eyes. 'I knew it. How could you do that? All this time, I thought that I was alone. Why didn't you just tell me? It would have been so much easier if I knew that I wasn't the only one in Camelot with magic.' Her voice broke in the end.

'I wanted to tell you, I really did. I just couldn't. It was too dangerous for both of us.' Merlin responded, but he knew it sounded weak.

'What is that supposed to mean? You don't trust me?'

'No, that's not what I meant.' He started, but Morgana held her hands up.

'You know, I don't care what you meant. I thought you were there when no one else was. I trusted you. I guess I was wrong. You could have made it better, Merlin. You could have helped me, but instead you've only made it worse.'

Suddenly, his anger flared up. She was being incredibly unfair.

'You think that I wanted to keep this from you? You think you're the only one who feels alone. Do you have any idea what it's like to have to deal with the loneliness your entire life? I was born like this, Morgana! I've always felt alone and then I realized you had magic. I was so happy. Finally I could share my secret with someone. I've wanted to tell you so many times. But I couldn't take the risk. But don't you tell me about loneliness. Don't you dare. Don't tell me what it's like to feel scared and alone. I know what it's like. Probably better than you.'

He took a deep breath and watched Morgana for a reaction. Maybe he shouldn't have said those things, but he felt a lot better now that she finally knew what he had been going through.

He saw how her eyes hardened as she walked to the door. She opened it and looked at the ground. 'We're done here.'

He could feel his shoulders slump down. 'Morgana, please.'

'Get out, now!' She said sharply.

Merlin could feel the tears in his eyes well up and he quickly rubbed them away with his hands before walking out of the room. 'I'm sorry.' He whispered, but she just slammed the door close without replying.

He sighed and slowly made his way down the stairs.

'This has to stop.'

Merlin turned around to see Arthur leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He pushed himself of the wall and walked towards Merlin.

'The king would have your head if he found out. There's no point denying it.'

Merlin eyed him warily. Had Morgana already told Arthur about his magic? Did the prince know his secret?

'Denying what?' He asked carefully.

'Your affections for the lady Morgana.' Arthur said quietly.

Despite his fall out with Morgana, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. His secret was still safe for now. 'Right.' He said before walking away again.

Arhur quickly stopped him by putting a hand on his arm.

'She can't be your friend. Alone anything else.' Arthur said with more compassion than he usually showed.

Merlin swallowed away the lump that had formed in his throat.

'I know. You don't have to worry. I don't think I'll ever see her again. Not as a friend, not as anything. I don't think we'll ever speak again.' He said honestly.

Arthur's eyes softened. 'I take it things did not go well?' He asked carefully.

Merlin let out a bitter laugh. 'You could say that.'

'I'm sorry, Merlin. I truly am.'

'Thank you.' He said with a little bit of wonder, surprised to see Arthur showing his caring side.

Arthur clapped him on the back. 'No problem. That's what friends are for.' He pulled on Merlins arm and started to walk.

'Friends?' Merlin asked with a smile.

'Don't look so happy. I need to have an excuse to have you around this week. Next week you can polish my armour, clean my chamber, mend my clothes.'

He continued his list, but Merlin did not listen anymore. Things might have gone wrong with Morgana, but at least he still had Arthur and his endless chores. Some things would never change.


End file.
